A shipping container is a type of container that has enough strength that it is able to withstand transport and the rocking, handling and general trauma that can come from this. They are used then to protect the items kept in the container and to keep them together. For instance if you were to make a shipment of lots of rice, you might do so using a shipping container in order to hold it together and prevent it from spilling out over the transportation. Likewise if you were making a shipment of valuable ornaments, you might use a shipping container for a different purpose - in order to protect them from sliding or being knocked and battered by keeping them in a large and durable box.

At the same time shipping containers have many other useful purposes, for instance they are useful for making items easier to stack as they will all have the same dimensions inside the shipping containers - this means they can be stacked next to each other with no space in between, or on top of each other without crushing what's underneath. This thereby maximises the quantity of items you can ship in one go and this in turn can save journeys thereby saving huge amounts in terms of fuel and in terms of labour costs for those transporting the goods. At the same time by keeping the items in shipping containers they also become easier to transport and to lift and place down and allows multiple items to be carried in one go.

There are many different types of shipping containers, and these include large re-usable steel boxes often used on boats to smaller corrugated boxes. These large steel containers are known as 'freight' containers and these are used for using products or raw materials across large distances. Interestingly there are around seventeen million intermodal containers across the world - a large number of which are used for international trade. In this way shipping containers facilitate trade between countries and the world market. The corrugated boxes meanwhile are made from a corrugated fibreboard. This is light weight and recyclable while being strong enough to contain a range of products making these a very versatile and efficient version.

Also used are wooden boxes that are often used for shipping heavy items and often in military shipments. Crates are also often used and these are usually also made from wood. These can be used to transport heavy or difficult objects. They have a self supporting structure and do not need sheathing. Crates can be easily manoeuvred using palettes which can hold several and which are suitable for lifting with forklifts.

Intermediate bulk containers meanwhile are used to transport fluids and bulk materials. They are often made from steel, but also plastic, and are often slightly narrower. A 'bulk box' is a palette shaped box for carrying bulk materials. Finally a drum is a cylindrical shipping container that is made of steel, plastic or fibre and which are usually used to transport liquids and sometimes granular materials such as the aforementioned rice.